Bongo Cat is an Internet meme that originated when a Twitter user created and tweeted a GIF of a white cat-like blob smacking a table with its two paws. [1] [2] The tweet was then replied to by another Twitter user [3] with an edited version of the GIF including bongos hit to the tune of a Super Mario World track. [4] The reply went viral and caused the GIF to be edited to many other songs. [5] [6]
The original Bongo Cat GIF originated on May 7, 2018, when an animated cat GIF made by Twitter user @StrayRogue [2] was edited by @DitzyFlama, with the edit including bongos which were hit by the cat to the tune of "Athletic" from the Super Mario World soundtrack. [7] The original artist clarified that Bongo Cat was a cat-like blob rather than an actual cat, showing a drawing of the character's full body in another tweet. [2]
It has later been edited to many other songs and many different instruments in fan-made videos, appearing on social media such as YouTube and Twitter. [5] [8] The meme has covered many songs from video game soundtracks, such as music from Persona 5 and Super Mario , as well as mainstream songs such as Toto's "Africa" and Darude's "Sandstorm". [9] After an increase in popularity, Stray Rogue began making and selling Bongo Cat merchandise. [1] Bongo Cat also has been made into an interactive website. [3]
In 2023, Bongo Cat's cover of "What Was I Made For?" by Billie Eilish was shared online. The cover went viral on TikTok and fans sang this version during Eilish's concerts in 2024. [10] In 2024, Bongo Cat recreated "What Makes You Beautiful" by One Direction. As of March 2025, the cover has amassed 1.5 million views on YouTube, coming just 2 months after the untimely death of Liam Payne.
Polygon and Uproxx both described Bongo Cat as the best meme of 2018. [11] [12] Ellen Scott of Metro also described Bongo Cat as bringing "happiness to all, even in the trashfire [sic] year that was 2018". [13] The Daily Dot described it as the most earnest and wholesome meme of 2018. [14] Reid McCarter of The A.V. Club and Megan Farokhmanesh of The Verge both praised the meme. [8] [3] Nicole Clark of Vice described the meme as "the only good thing on the internet." [15]
Praised for its flexibility, Bongo Cat has also been compared to the keyboard cat meme. [2]